https://opensiddur.org/?p=48765[Prayer] for unselfishness, by Basil Lucas Quixano Henriques (1916)2023-02-06 13:46:23Basil L.Q. Henriques's prayer "For Unselfishness" was first published in <em>The Fratres Book of Prayer</em> for the Oxford and St. George's Synagogue Jewish Lads Club in 1916, and later reprinted in the <em><a href="https://opensiddur.org/?p=48734">Prayer Book of the St. George's Settlement Synagogue</a></em> (1929), "Special Prayers" section, page 91. Textthe Open Siddur ProjectAharon N. Varady (transcription)Aharon N. Varady (transcription)Basil Lucas Quixano Henriqueshttps://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/Aharon N. Varady (transcription)https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Addenda20th century C.E.57th century A.M.British JewryEnglish vernacular prayerteḥinot in Englishצדק צדק תרדוף tsedeq tsedeq tirdofצדקה tsedaqahLiberal Movement for Progressive Judaism in Britain
Help me, O my Father,
to labour for the joys of others.
Help me
to spread happiness about me as I go,
to have a gentle heart for suffering,
to be charitable in thought as well as in deed,
to be just and patient and forgiving to all,
to speak the word of peace to him that is near
as well as to him that is from far off.
God of my fathers,
teach me to be worthy of the name of Israelite.
May no act of mine bring shame upon it.
May all that I do be to Thy Glory, O God.
Give me an understanding heart
so that I may feel how solemn is the responsibility
which rests upon me as a member of Thy people.
Give me strength to perform the Israelite’s mission,
to set an example of righteousness,
purity and unselfishness,
and to be a witness before the world
of Thine everlasting love. Amen.
Basil L.Q. Henriques’s prayer “For Unselfishness” was first published in The Fratres Book of Prayer for the Oxford and St. George’s Synagogue Jewish Lads Club in 1916, and later reprinted in the Prayer Book of the St. George’s Settlement Synagogue (1929), “Special Prayers” section, page 91. –Aharon Varady
Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeniשְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
Sir Basil Lucas Quixano Henriques CBE JP (17 October 1890 – 2 December 1961) was a British philanthropist of Portuguese Jewish descent, concentrating his work in the East End of London during the first half of the 20th century.
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